The invention generally relates to torque transmission assemblies, and particularly to clutch/brake assemblies
It is known to provide a small engine with a clutch/brake assembly for use in connection with lawn mowers and the like. The clutch/brake assembly may include an electro-mechanical clutch or a purely mechanical clutch. U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,765 discloses one such type of clutch/brake assembly. In such applications, it is typical for the engine to include a drive shaft that is arranged in a vertically extending position that is operably connected through the clutch/brake assembly with a mower blade. In such applications, it is also known to utilize the drive shaft for powering the mower by providing a driven connection between a transaxle and the drive shaft. This driven connection between the transaxle and the drive shaft can, for example, be provided by a transaxle pulley fixed to the drive shaft.
Known driving arrangements including a clutch/brake assembly and a drive shaft of an engine often use multiple, separate components to drivingly connect the drive shaft, the clutch/brake, and the transaxle pulley. These multiple components accommodate the arrangement of the transaxle, location of the mower chassis and of the engine. The use of multiple components to drivingly connect these components of a mower adds cost to the manufacture and service of the mower.
The invention provides a single component that engages the drive shaft of an engine, supports a transaxle pulley and serves as the inner hub of a clutch/brake assembly. The configuration of the inner hub embodying the invention permits the use of a single component which replaces multiple components yet performs the functions of the multiple components. The invention thus reduces the costs of manufacture of a mower using a clutch/brake assembly associated with a transaxle drive, and reduces the number of parts that must be maintained in an inventory used for either manufacture or servicing of such mowers.
Various other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description, claims and drawings.